Milkyspit Gossamer Review

[PoliceScannerMan]

I received a new light from Milky, the Gossamer. I dont know everything about it, but I am learning. I will share with you folks what I know.

What is it?

The Gossamer started out as a stock KL4 Surefire head. Milky took it into his lab and gutted it of its outdated power hungry 5W emitter and its stock electronics. He replaced the emitter with a Cree MCE, bin code KWF. He replaced the electronics with his acorn 1.3 driver, Califon firmware. The 1.3 means it is driven at 1.3A on full power. BTW on 2 IMR's on high you get about 625 lumens for 25 minutes then a 10 minute gradual fall.

The beauty in this light is the low mode. The drawback to most MCE/P7 lights is low mode is always too damn bright. Not with this one. Ultralow is 2 lumens! Thats right ultra low is 1/4 as bright as a Arc AAA. It also has a 5 day runtime, and that is conservative.

I discarded the stock body and tailcap and put the head on a clipped and flared Aleph 2 cell body I had laying around. To top it off, I put a shrouded Aleph tailcap on in that houses a McClicky switch.

Milky reccomends to run this light on 2 x IMR R123's. 3 Primaries will also work to, for you anti-rechargable guys.

OK, how does it work?

Milky's board is just sweet. There are 3 different modes, and 2 drives.

By two drives, I mean regular and mizer. To switch these drives tap the TC 40ish (Doesnt have to be exact, hows he do that?) times. (It takes 10 seconds)

Mizer mode reduces current to the emitter by 6 times! But our eyes only see half the difference. Holy runtime batman! Ultra low stays the same, with its 5 day runtime on 2 IMR's.

OK, onto the modes. Each mode has 4 brightness levels, strobe is counted as a level. To get from mode to mode you need to tap the tailcap 20ish times. The three modes are tactical, theatre, and memory.

To get from level to level just click the TC in succession within .5 seconds or so.

Reference

Tap= pressing TC without clicking
Click= Clicking the TC

Tactical Mode

Light comes on in high mode everytime from off, which I already mentioned, is 625 lumens. The next level is a 625 lumen strobe, which is the perfect Mhz IMO. So from off you would tap then click on to latch to strobe. Then next level is low then ultra low.

Theatre mode

Light always comes on in ultra low mode. Everytime. I keep it on this mode. If you wanted to go to high, you would tap tap tap click. I cant tell you enough how much I love the ultra low.

Memory mode

It remembers your last mode used, would be great for camping. tap tap tap then click whatever level you want to leave it on.

Thats pretty much it, Milky said there is beacon mode and locator flash also, but I havent figured it out yet.

I love this light the beams is nice and floody, and on high it has enough throw to get by on. It lights up my bat house 200 feet off my porch with no problem.

Onto the pics!

[Strauss]

Man that is one sweet set-up! I really love the interface on that light, very nice having a superb high with a good usable low. This just remind me why I need to get some lights out to Milky for him to work his magic

I notice most everyone uses KL4's for the MC-E/P7 swaps. Is there any particular reason? Just wondering if you could get the same results if you started with an older KL1 head?

[Derek Dean]

Wow, that's one of the nicest uses of an MC-E yet. You are one lucky guy. Thanks for the nice review and photos..... I'll look forward to some beamshots!

[XD9]

I am waiting on one of this builds my self.
I send in a E2DL
Cant wait!

[Seiko]

Got to love the p7 or MC-e in a E body.
Especially with the run time of DAYS!!

[PoliceScannerMan]

Can one of the mods move this to the review section?

[coloradogps]

[LED_Thrift]

That seems like a perfect light to carry. Milky does such great work. The level of performance from two rcr123 type cells is amazing.

[brighterisbetter]

Nice one PSM. I'm such a fan of KL4's anymore that any type of build involving them is one that I love.

[elt1]

Awesome build. Very versatile!

[1dash1]

I received my L4 Gossamer-mod from Milkyspit on Monday.

Here are a few beamshots. Distance from camera to garage door was 15 feet. Height of garage door is 8 feet, ceiling height is 9 feet. Door color is a light slate blue. Photos taken with Canon Powershot S3IS, manual mode, f2.7, 1/10th of a second.
.

.. . ...
Gossamer _ Ultra-Low ......Gossamer _ Low . .... .... Gossamer _ Medium ..........Gossamer _ High
Note: Super-low is much lower... Low beam barely registers in
than the lowest setting on the .. this photo because the beam
120P. .....................................is so floody.



. .. ..
Gssmer _ Mizer Ultra-Low ..Gssmer _ Mizer Low .......Gssmer _ Mizer Medium ....Gssmer _ Mizer High

* * * * *

I've included a few pictures of other lights that readers might be familiar with for comparison purposes.

You may click on the thumbnails to see the full-sized image. All photos were taken with the same camera settings.


.. .
ED-P72 _ Low ...................ED-P72 _ Medium ........... ED-P72 _ High


..
MTE SSC P7 _ Low..............MTE SSC P7 _ High



Olight Infinitum _ High


.. ..
Haiku _ Low...................Haiku _ Medium...............Haiku _ High


..
Aeon _ Low....................Aeon _ High


.. ..
120P _ Low....................120P _ Medium....................120P _ High


.. . .
Bitz _ Low......................Bitz _ Medium...................Bitz _ High


.. ..
Ra 100tw _ Low................Ra 100tw _ Medium............Ra 100tw _ High

* * * * *

And here are a few shots done at f4.0, 1/30th of a second shutter speed, that might be a little more helpful in differentiating which beams are brighter. All lights set at maximum output:


.. ..
ED-P72..........................Gossamer........................MTE SSC P7


..
Infinitum.........................Haiku


.. .. ..
Aeon..............................120P.............................Bitz.............................100tw

Note: By my eye when doing a ceiling bounce test, it seemed to me that the overall output levels took the following precedence: ED-P72, Gossamer, MTE SSC P7, Infinitum, Haiku, Aeon, 120P, Bitz, 100tw. The ED-P72 was, by far, the brightest and fully lived up to its advertised 900 lumen rating. The Gossamer and MTE were pretty close to each other in brightness. A step below that were the Infinitum and Haiku (the Haiku's output matched up quite well with the Infinitum). The total output of the Aeon, 120P, Bitz, and 100tw were very similar - IMO, the differences in tint and beam pattern were more significant than the difference in brightness.
.
.


Above, shows the lights that were compared in this shoot.
Bottom row: Epsilon ED-P72, Novatac 120P, HDS Ra 100tw, SureFire L4 Gossamer.
Top row: MTE SSC P7, McGizmo Haiku, Olight Infinitum, Bitz, Muyshondt Aeon.

[1dash1]

I'd like to point out that the Gossamer (high), the MTE SSC P7 (high) and the ED-P72 (medium) have roughly about the same total output. However, the beams differ greatly:




Gossamer _ High.



MTE SSC P7 _ High




ED-P72 _ Medium

[1dash1]

Theatre mode

Light always comes on in ultra low mode. Everytime. I keep it on this mode. If you wanted to go to high, you would tap tap tap click. I cant tell you enough how much I love the ultra low.

PoliceScannerMan:

Agreed. This is my favorite mode. When I turn it on, I know what I'm getting. If I want something else, it's very easy to cycle through.

Scott tuned my ultra-low down to what is easily 1/4th the output from my 120P's lowest setting. (Because of the way our eyes perceive output, my guess is that it is probably more on the order of 1/10th the output!) I'd say it's no brighter than moonlight from a half-moon. Even at that ultra-low setting, it's amazingly useful.

Thats pretty much it, Milky said there is beacon mode and locator flash also, but I havent figured it out yet.

This is how Scott set up the Califon firmware for me:

• In the tactical UI, click on defaults to High.
• Tap-click for Strobe.
• Tap-tap-click for Medium.
• Tap-tap-tap-click for Low.
• Tap-tap-tap-tap-click for Ultra Low.
• Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-click for Beacon/Locator.

It's somewhat of an odd beacon/locator. It is constantly on in the ultra low output and periodically flashes.

The flashes are so slow that if you don't wait long enough, you'll think that you accidentally switched to the Ultra Low mode (if the ambient conditions are dark enough) or you'll think that you switched it off somehow (if you're messing around with the flashlight during daylight or in a well-lit room). The net result is that you turn off the flashlight or switch to another level.

You could easily have been in and out of the beacon/locator flash mode without knowing it!

[toby_pra]

Very interesting review, many thanks...

[milkyspit]

Man that is one sweet set-up! I really love the interface on that light, very nice having a superb high with a good usable low. This just remind me why I need to get some lights out to Milky for him to work his magic

I notice most everyone uses KL4's for the MC-E/P7 swaps. Is there any particular reason? Just wondering if you could get the same results if you started with an older KL1 head?

Strauss, I can't speak for anyone else but I chose the KL4 for use with an MC-E because SureFire designed the reflector for the Luxeon V, another quad-chip emitter... that led me to believe it could handle focusing the MC-E reasonably well, and after some machining to fit things properly, it does indeed seem to do nicely... not perfect, but surprisingly good for such a small reflector. That said, I've already put together MC-E builds in other heads and have several more slated for completion in the near future!

It's somewhat of an odd beacon/locator. It is constantly on in the ultra low output and periodically flashes.

The flashes are so slow that if you don't wait long enough, you'll think that you accidentally switched to the Ultra Low mode (if the ambient conditions are dark enough) or you'll think that you switched it off somehow (if you're messing around with the flashlight during daylight or in a well-lit room). The net result is that you turn off the flashlight or switch to another level.

You could easily have been in and out of the beacon/locator flash mode without knowing it!

The reason the 'Califon' firmware isn't standard on the Acorn yet, but rather exists only as a user-requested customization, is that it's not yet feature complete. The locator blink was not designed as a distinct mode... it was designed to engage after a period of flashlight inactivity, to save battery power while still showing where the flashlight is in the dark. Since the timeout code isn't yet implemented, I wanted at least to provide a way to activate the locator manually.

[1dash1]

I purchased the L4 from CPF member M I K on the CPF Marketplace and had him ship it directly to Milkyspit in New Jersey. Meanwhile, I had made arrangements with Scott (Milkyspit), to do the mod.

Scott was very easy to communicate with by e-mail. He seemed in tune with what I had in mind and offered up some suggestions for tweaking the basic Gossamer set-up. He advised me that turnaround time would be approximately 3 weeks.

Three weeks later, right on schedule, I received a phone call from Scott advising me that the mod was done. He briefed me on the features and interface, spending quite a lot of time on the phone to ensure that I would be happy with the all the details.

During the telephone conversation, I mentioned that I found most tactical strobes to be of little value. Scott wanted to re-work the UI for me, but I assured him that that wouldn't be necessary. His UI would work fine for me as is, I just wouldn't use the strobe. Scott grudgingly said okay, but if I ever want to have it re-done, just ship it back to him and he would make it right. He dropped it off at the post office at 9 p.m. that night!

The package was delivered to me on Monday. I eagerly tore open the package, inserted two IMR16340's and tested it out.

* * * * *

I was initially impressed not so much by the high output, but by the ultra-low lows.

When compared against my 120P, I found that the superlow was much lower than the 120P's lowest setting. It seemed at least 4 times dimmer. The Gossamer at 3 inches away from the wall was roughly the same brightness as the 120P at 6 inches away from the wall. That's just light intensitiy. It was also illuminating a smaller area. So, the superlow output, in my opinion, was considerably less than the 120P's lowest setting.

It is a whisper of a light - wonderfully soft and useful for everything from checking alarm clock settings, to navigating around a pitch dark house at night, to tactical stealth operations. During the day, it is of no value, you can't even distinguish whether the light is on unless it is held an inch away from the target (two inches away and you can't tell that it's on!) or unless you peer directly at the glow of the LED.

Note: The Mizer mode's superlow is even lower than the regular mode's superlow, but the difference is hardly noticeable except when tested against a fixed (low) reference light source. Otherwise, in casual use, they subjectively seem alike.


* * * * *

Of course, the Gossamer's main feature is its high output. In a confined space, like a room, it lights up nearly everything in it with a wall of light.

The above photos don't do justice to how bright the output really is. The camera settings were set for the purpose of comparing some very bright flashlights, not for the purpose of representing how well the eye perceives the illumination. If you examine the photos of the hotspot of the low (approximately 10 lumen) settings of the Bitz, 120P, and Ra 100tw; you'll see that the SPILL from the Gossamer high mode is brighter than those hotspots. It takes a lot of lumens to illuminate that large of an area.

The Gossamer does get hot when running on max. Holding it by hand, the head was basically untouchable after 5 minutes. Another minute later and my hand was beginning to get uncomfortably warm while gripping the body. At that point, I changed to a lower output mode.

* * * * *

In practical use, I've found that the Gossamer is great for use at night for anything and everything within 100 feet. It's like my uber-useful Gerber Ultra Infinity on steroids plus a user interface that let's me dial in the output from super-low to super-high! I don't have anything that can touch the Gossamer for versatility.

I originally purchased the Gossamer as a backup having a lot of firepower, if needed. Now that I've seen what it can do, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the light. It's just too damn useful not to be used as a primary light! Who knows? Maybe this will end up as my bedside light, because of the wonderfully sublime superlow output.

All I can say is that the more I use it, the more I find uses for it. It's a true marvel to behold! Thank you Scott, well done!!!

* * * * *

A word of caution to those who may have an interest in pursuing this modification. The Gossamer is not a thrower. Although it has an effective range well beyond 200 feet, there are many flashlights with tighter beams that are much better suited for such tasks.

[Edwood]

PSM, did you have to chance to compare the Gossamer to the MJP 15-3 Ostar when you had it?

-Ed

[PoliceScannerMan]

PSM, did you have to chance to compare the Gossamer to the MJP 15-3 Ostar when you had it?

-Ed

15-3 was brighter for sure, but the levels were real close together on the 15-3.

The Goss brings real world utility to the action iwth the wide, perfect spacing of the levels, hence me selling the 15-3 upon receipt of my Goss.

[safd]

Awesome write ups by everyone!
ben

[MarkIAlbert]

Man that is one sweet set-up! I really love the interface on that light, very nice having a superb high with a good usable low. This just remind me why I need to get some lights out to Milky for him to work his magic

I notice most everyone uses KL4's for the MC-E/P7 swaps. Is there any particular reason? Just wondering if you could get the same results if you started with an older KL1 head?

Milky did a Gossamer for me using a KL1 head with an MCE-MWD bin. Clear Reflector. The engineering in the head is a piece of art. My favorite milky-mod yet (I also have a Creemator, Boxster, P60-drop in and a Gotham).

I haven't played with all the different modes yet, but yes, the ultra-low is awesome. So is the strobe. The high power is sick bright.

If you think about it, the original L4 was intended as a wall of light with a relatively short run time. With the Gossamer, Scott Clawson took that idea and max'd it out.

Great Job, Scott.

[1dash1]

A friend of mine asked me to explain the Gossamer user interface, thought I'd share the information with others...

The following schematic shows how the Gossamer/Acorn user interface works:




20 taps switches from one UI to the next. Since each UI has one bright mode, I just count the number of bright flashes instead of trying to keep track of the number of taps. 5 bright flashes means that I've made at least 20 taps. 40 taps (10 bright flashes by my count) switches from one power setting to the other.

And pretty much all user inputs start from the "off" position. Once you've "clicked", you really can't shift to the next option without clicking again - which is the "off" position. (If you're quick with your fingers, you could re-click the flashlight in less than one second and the Gossamer will process the sequence as a "tap" - but such manipulations aren't worth the bother, in my opinion.)

Note: See corrected diagram below, message no. 28.

[PoliceScannerMan]

Awesome chart!!!

[Patriot]

That is a cool chart!


ScannerMan, do you know what the input voltage range is? I was just wondering if 3 X RCR's would work in a longer body or if they could only be primaries. I guess 2 x 17500's would work too.

I do agree that part of the attraction is it's small size though even if the runtime is very short on high. Nice to have the option though.

[milkyspit]

A friend of mine asked me to explain the Gossamer user interface, thought I'd share the information with others...

The following schematic shows how the Gossamer/Acorn user interface works:




20 taps switches from one UI to the next. Since each UI has one bright mode, I just count the number of bright flashes instead of trying to keep track of the number of taps. 5 bright flashes means that I've made at least 20 taps. 40 taps (10 bright flashes by my count) switches from one power setting to the other.

And pretty much all user inputs start from the "off" position. Once you've "clicked", you really can't shift to the next option without clicking again - which is the "off" position. (If you're quick with your fingers, you could re-click the flashlight in less than one second and the Gossamer will process the sequence as a "tap" - but such manipulations aren't worth the bother, in my opinion.)

1dash1, this is a great chart. You know, I've meant to make something like this for a long time but never quite got around to doing so... thank you for taking the initiative!


That said, it's not quite perfect. In the MemoryUI, you make no mention of the double-tap gesture that always puts the light at max output... it's a safety feature included so there is a reliable, predictable way to get max output no matter which level the light was in before. (This isn't an issue in the other user interfaces since they turn on at the same level every time, making the action needed to get to max easily predictable.)

It's also worth noting for newer users of the Acorn that a "tap" involves using the momentary capability on the tactical tailswitch to "blink" the light briefly... if you click the light on, then click it off, you'll most likely be too slow for the light to interpret your action as a tap. IMHO the "blink" terminology might be a little more descriptive, haven't really formed a firm opinion on that, to be honest.

As for the 20-tap and 40-tap gestures, it's well worth noting that one does not have to count those exactly... I designed the firmware to be very forgiving on the count, and so long as one does AT LEAST the specified number of taps, the intended action will take place. For example, 21 taps will advance to the next UI, as will 22, 25, or 29. Likewise, 40 taps will turn Miser on/off, as will 41 42, 44, 47, and 49 taps, among others. If one watches the light while tapping, he/she might not need to count at all! It's pretty clear by a change in sequence that the UI has changed, and clear by a sudden increase or decrease in all the levels that Miser has turned itself on or off.

It's also worth noting that the chart covers the "Califon" version of firmware. Other firmware revisions, though often fairly similar, will have more or fewer features. For example, the "Bailey" firmware does not have strobe or locator, nor does it incorporate the TheaterUI.

And pretty much all user inputs start from the "off" position. Once you've "clicked", you really can't shift to the next option without clicking again - which is the "off" position.

To be fair, this limitation has everything to do with the nature of the tailswitch itself. SureFire switches are TACTICAL in nature, meaning they allow for a momentary on but NOT a momentary off. That means there's no way for the Acorn to know you want to change to a different level unless you first turn off the flashlight. (Fenix and similar lights use a REVERSE tactical switch, which supports momentary OFF but not on... that's why they can change brightness without turning the light off... but they cannot be used for a momentary on, one must always click to turn the light on.)

(If you're quick with your fingers, you could re-click the flashlight in less than one second and the Gossamer will process the sequence as a "tap" - but such manipulations aren't worth the bother, in my opinion.)

Actually, it's 1/2 second, and in some custom versions of the firmware 1/4 second. Most mere mortals won't be able to click on then off quickly enough to finish within that timeframe. I know I can't! Besides which, one could always hold the momentary and click through to keep that particular level... that's actually very convenient!

Maybe you can work these into what otherwise is a fine chart. Thanks for doing this in the first place!

(Would you mind if I post the revised chart in my Eye Candy thread, and could you send me a copy of the chart in source form so I could perhaps revise it for other versions of the firmware? I will give you credit as originator of the chart.)

[Hitthespot]

Scott,

I love the mods you did for me and I love my KX2C head with the Acorn driver. The UI is perfect. I wish all of my lights had 4 modes at the same drive ratings as the acorn driver/software . I don't use the 4 lower modes but it is nice to know they are there also.

Now having said the above I have found that a double tap does not consistantly place me in the high mode. Is a matter of fact only around 10 percent of the time do I find it actually works. Am I doing something wrong? Or am I missing something simple.

Thanks

Bill

[milkyspit]

Scott,

I love the mods you did for me and I love my KX2C head with the Acorn driver. The UI is perfect. I wish all of my lights had 4 modes at the same drive ratings as the acorn driver/software . I don't use the 4 lower modes but it is nice to know they are there also.

Now having said the above I have found that a double tap does not consistantly place me in the high mode. Is a matter of fact only around 10 percent of the time do I find it actually works. Am I doing something wrong? Or am I missing something simple.

Thanks

Bill

Bill, it sounds like you are tapping too slowly, or perhaps clicking the light on during the taps rather than using the momentary to blink the light, or (most likely scenario) confusing the click that turns your light on with one of the taps. With your flashlight off, you want to blink the light twice... BLINK! BLINK!... then click the light on. Turning the light on is NOT one of the taps. Put another way...

Light is off
BLINK! (light is off again, blink was only momentary)
BLINK! (light is off again, blink was only momentary)
Turn light on... it should switch to max shortly after turning on

Anyway, I'm glad you like the user interface as well as the levels. Hope this helps.

[octaf]

Hello, 1dash1.

very impressive beamshot.

[1dash1]

.





Milkyspit: Diagram revised and files sent to you by e-mail.

Octaf: Thanks!

[1dash1]

Scott,

I love the mods you did for me and I love my KX2C head with the Acorn driver. The UI is perfect. I wish all of my lights had 4 modes at the same drive ratings as the acorn driver/software . I don't use the 4 lower modes but it is nice to know they are there also.

Now having said the above I have found that a double tap does not consistantly place me in the high mode. Is a matter of fact only around 10 percent of the time do I find it actually works. Am I doing something wrong? Or am I missing something simple.

Thanks

Bill

Hitthespot:

I have the same trouble.

Tap-click is simple enough for changing modes. However, my fingers seem to spazz out on the double-tap click.

I find that slowing down helps to avoid overshooting the double-tap step. It's a tap - tap - click, not a tappity-tappity-click.


Milkyspit:

Would it be possible to program the Memory Mode so that triple-tap-click and quadruple-tap-click also shortcut to High? That would take care of those of us who seem lacking in the hand-eye coordination area.

[Hitthespot]

Hitthespot:

I have the same trouble.

Tap-click is simple enough for changing modes. However, my fingers seem to spazz out on the double-tap click.

I find that slowing down helps to avoid overshooting the double-tap step. It's a tap - tap - click, not a tappity-tappity-click.


Milkyspit:

Would it be possible to program the Memory Mode so that triple-tap-click and quadruple-tap-click also shortcut to High? That would take care of those of us who seem lacking in the hand-eye coordination area.

Scott, 1dash1,

Thank you both for your replys. Scotts (Milkyspit's) simple explanation solved my problem. I was just missing somthing. I was tap once then when I tapped the second time I was holding and expecting the light to go in to high, instead of Tap-Tap-Click.

THANK YOU SCOTT,

I look forward to my next mod. I'm thinking an MC-E in my Nitecore Infininty. lol

Bill